by Jaime Reese
"Better different?" Gus asked.
Carmen smacked Gus's arm. "If it wasn't better, then I wouldn't be eating like a starved prisoner on a deserted island." They argued back and forth, playfully, each having quick comebacks to fight off the other.
Ty leaned over to whisper in Cole's ear, "Are they always like this?"
Cole nodded. "We grew up in a big family. We all fought for attention and this is usually how we got it." This was just a hint of what it was like to be circled by the Renzo mob. It was why he thought it best to ease Ty into the family introductions. He shifted his focus to his siblings. "Guys, chill out. Don't overdo it. We don't want to ban you from future visits."
Both Gus and Carmen stopped and targeted their laser focus on him. His sister's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Are we the first ones invited here?" Carmen asked.
Both Cole and Ty nodded.
Carmen laughed. "Oh, I'm his favorite."
Gus shoved his sister. "No, I am. I have the food and he loves to eat."
His sister turned and crossed her arms. "I've got two things in my name he loves. Cars and men. It's a given. Besides, I've got Pulga and she trumps your food."
Gus scowled and picked at his dinner. "No fair," he grumbled. "You can't pull the Pulga card. Everyone loves her."
Cole looked over to Ty and almost burst into laughter at his shocked expression. Considering his only brother was Aidan, it shouldn't have surprised Cole that Ty would have a semi-surreal experience with his family. The Renzos were loud, brutally honest, fiercely independent, but a loving bunch.
"All of you are my favorites," Cole said.
Both Gus and Carmen rolled their eyes. "That's Mami's answer," his brother responded.
They laughed and joked for the rest of the evening and enjoyed embarrassing Cole with childhood stories. Ty finally eased into conversation with them, but that was due to Carmen working her magic. She could make a grown man cry with her wicked words, but she also had hands as soft as silk when she needed to comfort someone.
And that was exactly why he had chosen her as Ty's introduction to his family. Gus, well, he always came bearing gifts and seemed to be attached at the hip to their sister.
Cole lingered on the couch, acting as if he was watching the movie on the television screen. Instead, his gaze wandered over to Ty and Gus, chatting by the collection of bullets on display that Aidan had left behind in the move. For some odd reason, Ty found them fascinating.
Carmen leaned over and bumped Cole's shoulder. "He's great."
"He's amazing."
She smiled. "Make sure you let him know you think so."
"I do," Cole said, tugging on the edge of his jeans. He couldn't help but think of that morning's exchange and how he hadn't said those three simple words. But he knew he showed Ty just how he felt every chance he had. He looked over to Ty again and sighed. "He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Thanks for going easy on him."
Carmen huffed a laugh and shoved him. "I saw him getting a little freaked out so I didn't want to scare him off completely. Have you spoken to Rio yet?"
Cole exhaled heavily and shook his head.
She leaned over and rested her head on Cole's shoulder. "It's hard for him because he's so different from us. He's a natural born complainer." She looked up and pulled his beanie down over his eyes. "You were an easy target at the time. You know he didn't mean it."
Cole pulled the edge of his hat up, uncovering a scowl directed at his sister. "It was bad enough I thought it was my fault, I didn't have to hear it from him. I need to work through this. I'm just not at the point yet where I'm comfortable enough to pick up the phone to call him, but I'm getting there."
Carmen wrapped her arms around Cole. "You're just as stubborn sometimes."
"I'm a Renzo, comes with the territory."
She tugged on his knit cap and bumped his shoulder. "When are you taking that shit off your head?"
"When you get rid of that sailor mouth of yours. Besides, Mami knits some of these for me. You go tell her not to make them anymore and see what she says to you."
Carmen raised her hands, surrendering. "Um, no. She's like a fricken spider weaving her web. She loves that shit. Better you get knit beanies than me getting another sweater to wear in this godforsaken Miami weather. Why don't you cut your hair like a normal person?"
"I do."
Carmen blew out an exasperated breath. "I don't mean you cutting it yourself when it gets too long to tuck under this thing."
They continued to argue then finally eased into a comfortable silence. After a movie and a few more embarrassing stories, Gus and Carmen finally said their goodnights and left.
Ty wrapped his arms around Cole from behind. "That was…interesting."
Cole chuckled, leaned back, and turned his head to look at Ty. "Is that a nice way of saying my family is a bit off?"
Ty placed a gentle kiss on Cole's waiting lips. "I understand you more now. I can't imagine how tough it was to grow up surrounded by such a large family with such strong personalities. They're loud, blunt, but they obviously love you."
Cole smiled. "They do."
Ty rested his chin on Cole's shoulder. "Your sister's very affectionate."
"Among other things." Cole snorted a laugh.
Ty's low rumble-laugh sent a chill through Cole's body. "I noticed she was constantly touching you, hugging you, bumping you. Stuff like that."
Cole turned in the embrace and cocked his head. "What's wrong with that?"
"There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just not used to having that," Ty mumbled. "Like this stuff," he said, tightening his hold around Cole's waist. "It's not something I was used to before you muscled your way into my life."
Cole reached up and placed his hand on the side of Ty's face, smiling when Ty closed his eyes and leaned into the caress. "But you're okay with it?" He already knew the answer. His pulse sped, remembering their first night alone together and how Ty clung to his body.
Ty opened his eyes and stared at Cole, the undeniable love screaming from his whiskey brown eyes. "I like having your hands on me."
Cole reached up behind Ty's neck and pulled him into a kiss then slid his other hand down the back of Ty's jeans, kneading his ass and tugging him closer. His heart pounded against his chest when a strangled whimper escaped Ty. Damn, he loved that sound, craved it like a thirsty man begging for a drink. He moaned when Ty yanked the shirt out of his jeans and ran his hands roughly up Cole's back. He stepped back, trying to lure Ty to the bedroom, but Ty took a step in the opposite direction. Cole broke the kiss and looked over his shoulder, smiling when he spotted the new couch only one more step behind. He glanced back at Ty and saw the hint of mischief that had begun to surface more often during their banter.
Ty yanked the beanie off Cole's head and dug his fingers through his hair with a grip tight enough to pull Cole's head back. "You wanted to break in our half of the couch."
Cole bit his lip and smiled. He loved it when Ty gave back just as much. "How about we show that poor couch what this dynamic duo can do?"
Ty's low rumble-laugh shot straight to Cole's already hard shaft. "I thought you'd never ask."
Now that all the service tickets were completed, Ty worked with Cole to revert the shop to its regular setup. "It's quiet here without your crew," Ty said, returning the picture frame to the wall. After spending two months with Cole's crew, he could clearly see how Cole had worked so closely with his teams for so many years. They were an interesting bunch individually, but collectively, they were extraordinary. They effortlessly worked on schedule and still managed to joke and tease each other while doing so. It was comfortable, inviting, and open. The crew left the prior week and he already missed their presence at the shop.
Cole nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly.
Ty casually looked over his shoulder, watching Cole as he hung the banner on the opposite wall with a somber expression. "Are you staying in touch with them this time?"
C
ole sighed. "I need to be careful with that while I'm still on probation. I don't want to tie them to me and cause a problem for them." He glanced over to Ty with a forced grin. "I need to behave for little while longer."
Ty returned the smile but knew Cole was struggling with something other than his crew's departure. He walked over to Cole and propped himself up on the bench table in the corner. "Something else is bothering you," he said, hoping to coax Cole into a conversation.
Cole finished hanging the last corner of the banner and turned to face Ty. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet along the floor. "I don't like losing people. I have a hard time dealing with it."
Ty crossed his arms and leaned back, resting his head against the wall. "You didn't lose them. They're still there. You're just taking a time-out."
Cole looked up with a lopsided grin. "I've dealt with plenty of time-outs in my life." He walked over to the bench table where Ty sat and hopped up to sit next to him, crossing his legs and leaning back against the wall. "Having the crew here for two months then leaving…I don't know…it left a hole there again. I hate it. I don't know, it's like reopening a wound or something. Reminds me of losing my brother. And I'm having a hard time trying to get over the guilt. Hard to explain."
Ty looked at Cole intently. It was obvious he was preoccupied with more than his usual million thoughts. "Why guilt?"
Cole shrugged. "I've lived with the guilt that my brother died because of me. Because I was the reason he joined the service. He wanted to be the guy I looked up to, he wanted to be my hero. Because of that, I always saw myself as the reason he died." He looked down and fidgeted with his boot laces.
Ty straightened and leaned forward. "How can you see that as your fault?"
Cole turned to him with a sad smile. "The same way you see it as your fault that your parents died that night." He looked down again and tugged on his pant leg, absently busying his hands. "We want to blame someone and it's always easier to blame ourselves. My brother's death is no more my fault than your parents' deaths is yours. I know that now. It's taken me some time to fight through the arguments in my head about it. It's still hard, but…at least…I can see that now."
Ty tried to gather his thoughts. "It's not the same."
"What's not?"
Ty shifted his focus forward at the picture he had just rehung on the wall. The image suddenly blurred beyond recognition with the thoughts cluttering his mind. "Your brother chose to join the service on his own. It's nothing you did. My parents were at one of my shows. They wouldn't have died if they hadn't been there."
Cole reached over and placed a comforting hand on Ty's knee. "That doesn't mean it was your fault."
"They were there because of me."
Cole reached up and caressed Ty's cheek. "One thing I know for sure. Neither my brother nor your parents would want us to live each day miserable with guilt. I see that now and it's what is getting me through this. I know my brother would kick my ass and yell at me." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It's easier said than done, but you need to take things one day at a time."
Ty looked over and stared at Cole. How people thought Cole was flaky or less than brilliant was beyond him. He was all too familiar with the pain of guilt and could clearly see it etched in Cole's expression as well. "I can't really talk about this with anyone…Aidan, the doctors. No one."
Cole stroked his thumb along Ty's skin. "Neither can I. Julian talks me through a few things but I'd rather be able to talk to you about this. But not if it's going to put you back in that black hole you've been working to dig yourself out of."
Ty squeezed Cole's hand and leaned his head back again. The tight twist in his chest felt looser than it usually did. One thing kept nagging him about what Cole had said and rang truer than any argument he had had in his head about that night. His parents wouldn't want him to live each day miserable with guilt. He remembered winning the plaque for the best customized car design at the show.
A plaque he still kept stashed in the box since that night.
One day at a time. He could do this, and with Cole by his side, he had the best support system anyone could offer. He jumped off the bench table and pulled Cole to join him. "C'mon, I need you to help me do something."
Cole let Ty lead him to a stack of boxes in the corner of the customization bay. He read each label and discarded boxes to the side until he found the one he sought. He took a deep breath and carried the box over to the work bench.
"What's that?" Cole asked, his curiosity obviously piqued.
Ty cut open the box and removed the packing paper inside, withdrawing the elegant wooden plaque with the engravings. "It's the plaque I won that night."
"You want to hang it up?" Cole asked.
Ty took a deep breath. It would be tough to see the plaque up each day in the shop, knowing it would be a constant reminder. He grazed the wooden edges with his thumb and his vision blurred. Rather than the images of the mangled car from the night of the accident coming to mind, he suddenly saw his parents' smiling faces from that night, and felt the warmth of their embrace envelop him when the winner was announced.
Cole took the plaque from his hand and carefully set it on the bench. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Ty. "I'll go grab the stuff to hang it." He walked away and quickly returned with the supplies. "Where do you want it?"
Ty sniffled and pointed to a spot on the wall. The perfect spot that he would see each day while at the shop.
Cole quickly opened the hole in the concrete wall and prepared the setting. When he finished, he walked back over to Ty with a hint of a smile. "You do the honors."
Ty walked over to the wall with the plaque in hand, reached up, and hung the award in its new spot. He inhaled a shaky breath and tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. His parents were so proud of him that night and he had let the accident steal that memory from him. He looked up at the plaque, and a tiny glimmer of hope forced its way through the darkness of that night. He closed his eyes when strong arms wrapped around his waist from behind.
"One day at a time," Cole said, resting his head against Ty's back.
Ty clasped Cole's arms around him and took a deep breath to ease the tightness in his chest. He opened his eyes and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he clearly saw a vision of his parents smiling down at him with their genuinely proud expression.
One day a time.
He could do this. And with Cole by his side, he didn't doubt it for a moment.
Ty's hand swept across the drawing paper, adding another curve to the fender of the project. Each line he sketched awakened another curve in the exterior beauty and each sharp angle accentuated elegance. He'd missed this. Sure, he had accepted Drayton's rig project, but that was his friend pushing a project on him. This…this was his choice and he finally felt another piece falling into place. Knowing he could create something with a simple stroke of his pen always amazed him. In the last couple of weeks, he'd finally taken on a small handful of customization projects and had been eager to start.
As soon as the initial sketch was created for their first project, Cole immediately jumped in, helping him with shaping the metal and creating the fiberglass moldings. He smiled, remembering how Cole bounced on the balls of his feet as he had that first week at the shop with him. It was something new, something different, and Cole's excitement was just as intoxicating as the thrill of finishing the new sketch.
Cole. It seemed as if every word he said and every action had one goal—to make Ty love him that much more. Even though Cole hadn't said the words after Ty had blurted them out almost six weeks ago, things were stronger between them. Aside from the always present banter and laughter that echoed in the shop, they spoke openly and made some progress with Ty's survivor's guilt and Cole's guilt of losing his oldest brother. And Ty…the image of the mangled car was no longer the first image that came to mind when he thought of that day. For him, that was a huge feat in itself.
/> He held up the edge of the large sheet and inspected his work. He took a deep breath and smiled as his pulse spiked. Finally, that last change was exactly what had been missing. Now, looking at the revision, there wasn't a single detail he wanted to change. And that was how he knew he had another winner. He felt lighter. Happy. Almost as happy as he was knowing Cole's term would be over soon and he would be moving in with Ty. The thought of having Cole with him all day brought a wistful smile to his face.
He grabbed the radio from his desk when it chirped. "Go ahead, Stacie."
"Sir, you have a…visitor here to see you."
Ty's jaw clenched. He recognized Stacie's tone. Robert. "I'll be there in a minute." He knew this sense of peace he'd had for weeks wouldn't last long with this dark cloud hovering over him.
He stood and exited his drawing room, another change he had completed in the last few weeks. Since he no longer slept in his office, he had asked Cole and Jeff to help him clean out and reorganize his design workroom. He wasn't sure which of the two jumped in faster to help. As soon as the projects were commissioned, his space was ready for him to zone out and design, with a new desk chair as a gift from Jeff.
He walked out of his office and spotted Jeff hurriedly walking toward him.
"I was coming to get you to give you a heads up. Robert's here," Jeff said with a worried expression, turning to walk alongside Ty.
Ty nodded. "Stacie radioed me. I'm going to see him now."
"You don't need to play his game anymore. All the service tickets are done, he can't hold that over your head anymore."
"I know. But he can still try and screw over Drayton. So I don't want to show our hand until I know what he wants to do." Ty looked over and saw Robert standing by Stacie. He jabbed his finger in the air at her as she stood stock-still, arms crossed, staring at him without flinching. He needed to give her a raise.
"If you need me, I'll be there. Don't let that asshole—"
Ty looked over to the older man and smiled. "I'm not letting that asshole get to me." With all the shop tickets done, Robert couldn't challenge his reputation. And with Drayton's prototype finished weeks in advance and a formal announcement scheduled for next month, there wasn't much that could be done to interfere with the new line.